"Like a Bear on a Wire Whoever goes out for a spin in Moscow with a bear in the back seat doesn’t get into trouble with the police for the simple reason that no officer is interested in starting trouble with a predator. Outside of the circus ring as well, life is quite a bit more intense for many Russian artistes than it is for their fellow countrymen. To kick off a circus career, an aspiring animal tamer might resort to getting a half-grown tiger on the black market and travelling to appearances by rail with it in the sleeping car."